They look more like the brightly lit shelves of a chemists shop than the rows of a vegetable garden.

    But according to their creators, these perfect looking vegetables could be the future of food.

    In a perfectly controlled and totally sterile environment - uncontaminated by dirt, insects or fresh air - Japanese scientists are developing a new way of growing vegetables.

    Called plant factories, these anonymous looking warehouses have sprung up across the country and can churn out immaculate looking lettuces and green leaves 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Every part of the plant's environment is controlled - from the lighting and temperature, to the humidity and water. Even the levels of carbon dioxide can be minutely altered.

    Rather than the conventional scruffy clothes and dirty fingernails of vegetable growers, the producers wear gloves, surgical masks and sort of dust proof protective suits normally seen in chemical plants.

    The vegetables from plant factories - which include green leaf, romaine lettuce and garland chrysanthemum - are sold at a premium to Japanese shoppers. No pesticides are used - and there is no risk of contamination with food poisoning bugs.

    Because the plants are grown in a clean room, they can be eaten safely without washing. Lettuce grown in the factories can be cropped up to 20 times a year.

    Some factories are vast - and can produce three million vegetables a year.

    The results are hygienic, but it's about as far from real food as you can possibly get.

    The spread of plant factories has been encouraged by the Japanese government amid concerns about the use of chemicals in vegetables.

    A spokesman for the Ozu Corporation factory in Tokyo said: 'Vegetables are produced in the factory without being exposed to the air outside.

    'Stable production is guaranteed throughout the year by controlling lighting, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and water. They can also meet the demands of consumers who want safe foods.'

    Plant factories have yet to arrive in the UK. The closest Britain has are the vast greenhouses in the south of England where millions of tomatoes are grown hydroponically - without soil.

    它们看起来更像是化学商店里一排排灯火通明的货架，而不是蔬菜园里的一排排菜架。

    不过据它们的创始人说，这些看来完美无瑕的蔬菜可能就是我们未来的食物。

    日本科学家正在开发一项蔬菜种植的新方法：整个环境完全由人工控制而且完全无菌，也就是说，这是一个既没有灰尘也没有昆虫和新鲜空气的环境。

    这些被称为种植工厂的不起眼库房如雨后春笋般遍布日本各地，它们每周7天、每天24小时不间断地大量生产这种完美无暇的生菜和各类绿叶菜。

    植物的每个生长环节处于完全控制中：从照明到温度、从湿度到水分。甚至二氧化碳的浓度每分钟也有改变。

    工人们不像传统菜农那样穿着破衣服、留着脏指甲，他们都戴着手套和医用口罩，还穿着通常在化工厂才能见到的防尘防护服。

    日本消费者高价购买这些绿叶菜、长叶生菜、茼蒿等种植厂的蔬菜。没有使用农药，也就不存在被污染的蔬菜引起中毒的可能。

    因为这些植物种植在干净的房间里，不用水洗就可安全食用。在这里，生菜一年可以收割20次。

    一些大型的种植工厂一年可以生产300万颗蔬菜。

    尽管产品很卫生，但这并非你所理解的真正意义上的食品。

    在对使用化学蔬菜的担忧声中，这些种植工厂的普及得到了日本政府的支持。

    东京大洲公司工厂的发言人说：“工厂内种植的蔬菜与外界空气完全隔绝。

    “通过控制照明、温度、湿度、二氧化碳和水，可以保证全年产量的稳定。这些产品还满足了消费者对安全食品的要求。”

    这种类型的种植工厂尚未出现在英国。在英国，与此最相似的是英格兰南部广阔的蔬菜温室，那里数百万的西红柿不是种在土里，而是水培种植。